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The Sheep of Shetland
A Historical Perspective
Part II by George
Benedict
By this time Sinclair and his fellow agriculturists had formed "The
Highland Society" and issued a report for the Improvement of British Wool
in Edinburgh and the findings of this Society were used to support
Sinclair’s notion that the Shetland was the great hope of the British Wool
Industry.
The excerpts below are exemplary of the tone and style of these
exchanges
"We have heard much of the stockings &c made of the wool of...Shetland.
It will be found on inquiry that it was pulled from under the throat &
those parts of the animal where it is finest, but not in any quantity."
John Baker Holroyd.
November 6, 1785
"I have received your Favor & the Lock of Shetland wool Inclosed which is
certainly the Softest Lock I Ever felt. Whether each individual hair of
the pile is as fine as the Spanish, [Merino] requires instruments I have
not in my possession to ascertain with precision
It certainly is & has been long known to be the best wool for hosiery
known…"
Sir Joseph Banks to Sir John Sinclair.
September 27, 1790
Sinclair lobbies others with regard to his mission for Shetland Sheep and
gains the support of John Holroyd:
The completeness of the first Specimens of Shetland Wool, which you
sent me, surprised me extremely & very agreeably---I was not prepared for
such a sample & till then I did not believe such could be got north of
Spain. I shall be ravenous to know something more of the Kindly
Breed---what sort of sheep---their size & shape---the weight of the
fleece…whether it is a short sweet grass they feed in the Shetland Islands
& whether the circumstances of the near neighborhood of the Sea to those
small Islands does not correct the coldness expected in a Situation so far
north & prevent the extreme not only of cold, but of heat, in the lower
lands---I mentioned in a late letter written in much haste that I had been
disposed to think that wool as fine as Spanish might be raised in this
Island---It seems to be proved---
I shall pick out… Ewes the fineness and closeness of whose fleece intitles them to be sent so far…& a closewooled Spaniard shall attend
them---I saw the Caithness Sheep with Sir Joseph Banks whose fleece was
abominably loose and hairy, but there seemed to be a short & fine kind of
wool mixed at the root…
John Holroyd
A year later and Banks is still not convinced of the merits of the
Shetland in his breeding program. Sinclair, however, is relentless and
continues to push for acceptance of these Sheep of Shetland bysending raw
samples and processed wool to Banks for his approval or criticism.
T he Shetland wool is remarkably fine but not equal to the Spanish, nor
so well calculated for making cloth. It does not spring out forcibly when
compressed, as the Spanish does, and is not so much twisted or crimped.
The crimping in clothing wool cannot be too minute. The Spanish wool is
not above an inch or an inch and a half long. M. D’Aubenton has sent
fifteen of his best flock [of Merinos] to Sir John Sinclair and will send
a score more…
Banks to Sinclair
Banks begins to distrust the veracity of Sinclair’s opinion on Shetland
Sheep and begins to inquire of others regarding these fabled wool bearing
ovines…
There are two matters on the Shetland Isles about which I have my
wants, the First is the Sheep I want much to see a Shetland Sheep that has
no hair sticking thro its wool & has a coat of fine silky wool either
white or black in Shetland which Sir John Sinclair describes under the
name of a Kindly Sheep pray procure me one or two that have the Least
proportion of Long Hair to their wool that you can find. I beg also that
you will attend the Shearing or rather Plucking of the sheep for they say
that:
I want much to know exactly how this odd operation is Performed I
conclude that the Down of the animal which lives at the Roots of the Long
Hairs detaches itself first & may be pulled out by a Comb or otherwise
without drawing these from the sheeps back so that plucking answers the
double purpose of Sorting and Shearing at the same time how they take
notice if they have any such animal as a Sheep without hair among them and
how he is treated & send me a lock of its Fleece
I expect a long letter on this Subject for it interests me to have one
from a man whose fidelity I can place full reliance upon
Banks To John Lloyd ,
1791
Sinclair advises..
I am getting Kindly Shetlanders for your inspection…
Sinclair to Banks
And continues to ply Banks with samples of the best Shetland has to
offer…
I sent by, yesterdays post, a pretty large specimen of Shetland wool
properly dressed and prepared, and, I have now the honor of enclosing a
small sample for Lady Banks. But I am persuaded that the specimens you
have seen, will have altered in some measure your opinion of Shetland
wool. It was never dressed properly before& consequently had never any
justice done to it.
I have now the pleasure of informing you, that we already got ten of
the Shetland sheep safely landed at Leith. I saw them this morning.
Some
of them looked like little Camals, from their length of their neck &,
shape in general, and appearance, having no horns &c. Eight of them are of
the
real kindly breed… The eight are free from stichel hairs. The other
two have them in abundance…
You’ll be astonished by the spirit we have raised in Shetland, by this
inquiry…
Lord Sheffield has promised us some of the Spanish breed sheep… Perhaps
you might dispose of some of yours.
Sinclair to Banks
Meanwhile, Sinclair had been quietly but aggressively trying to bring
Merinos to Scotland on his own as hinted at in the note above. By this
time George III, through the exhaustive work of Banks has an established
flock of Merino’s procured through agents in Portugal, France and Austria.
Sinclair, although he never publicly admits, must also be giving up on
the Shetland, for he begins dropping hints to Banks that he would be
pleased to receive a ram from the King’s flock if it could be arranged. He
also, apparently even goes to Denmark to find fine wooled sheep to address
the "Stichel Hair problem" .
I have seen several Shetland sheep whose fleece was perfectly free from
hair– and Sir John Sinclair got one of the same kind in every respect last
year from Denmark which had a beautiful fleece without a single hair to be
found in any part of it…
Dr. James Anderson to Banks
The debate continues and after examining many samples of Shetland wool
provided over a period of years by Sinclair and others as raw fleece and
as processed wool, and "on the hoof", Banks through his own observations
and those of friends comes to believe that he is correct in his decision
to move away from the Shetland and promote the extensive infusion of
Spanish blood into the best sheep of the British Isles if he is to succeed
and win the favor of George III.
While I was in Shetland I made every possible Enquiry into the nature &
quality of the different sorts of wool in the Country, and as I was there
very soon after their Shearing time, I had an opportunity of seeing the
fleeces as they come of the Sheep in all the Different parts of the
Country which I visited, and by seeing a great variety of Samples I am
convinced there is no such thing as a Shetland Sheep without Hair, the
difference I found betwixt the fine woolled Sheep & the Coarse, is, that
upon the fine I found a considerable quantity of
long Hairs amongst the
Wool, upon the Coarse I found a small Quantity of Wool amongst the
Hair…The detail of all the absurdities attending the mischievous manner of
breeding Sheep, Cattle & Horses in Shetland is too long for a letter…
I think with your assistance I may be able to improve the breed of
their Sheep and the wool…
Thomas Dundas to Banks
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